Pantone has announced Pantone 11-4201 Cloud Dancer—a balanced white—as the Pantone Color of the Year selection for 2026. According to the company, the color “serves as a symbol of calming influence in a frenetic society rediscovering the value of measured consideration and quiet reflection.”
Similar to a blank canvas, Cloud Dancer “signifies our desire for a fresh start.” The color is meant to encourage “true relaxation and focus that allows the mind to wander and creativity to breathe, making room for innovation.”
“At this time of transformation, when we are reimagining our future and our place in the world, Pantone 11-4201 Cloud Dancer is a discrete hue offering a promise of clarity,” Leatrice Eiseman, executive director, Pantone Color Institute, said in a statement. “The cacophony that surrounds us has become overwhelming, making it harder to hear the voices of our inner selves. A conscious statement of simplification, Cloud Dancer enhances our focus, providing release from the distraction of external influences.”
“We are living in a transitional time where people are seeking truth, possibility and a new way of living,” added Laurie Pressman, VP of the Pantone Color Institute. “PANTONE 11-4201 Cloud Dancer is an airy white hue that exemplifies our search for balance between our digital future and our primal need for human connection, a liminal space that is a launchpad for creative expression, as individuals and communities are experimenting beyond traditional boundaries, opening the door to increased imagination and innovation.”
Pantone will help provide the blank canvas that Cloud Dancer represents by spotlighting artists across the creative community to create their own interpretation of the Pantone Color through the Year. The company will release limited-edition designs from artists across all areas of design, from graphics to fashion. For the first iteration of the project, Pantone is collaborating with Emiliano Ponzi, an illustrator, visual artist and author, to create a limited-edition tote bag that showcases Cloud Dancer through his distinctive visual language, which combines conceptual depth with graphic precision.
For interior design, the color displays a “conscious state of simplification” that encourages “true relaxation and quiet focus for those seeking moments of disconnection and rest,” the company claimed in the announcement. The hue “invites a space where function and feeling intertwine to build atmospheres of serenity and spaciousness, providing a refuge of visual cleanliness that inspires well-being and lightness whether introduced in furniture or furnishings. ... Infused with serenity, PANTONE 11-4201 introduces a spa like feeling into bathrooms and an open and spacious feeling in the kitchen. A key structural color, Pantone 11-4201 adapts, harmonizes and creates contrast, bringing a feeling of airy lightness to all product applications and environments whether used on its own, or combined with other hues.”
Partnerships
As the official hospitality partner for the Pantone Color of the Year 2026, Mandarin Oriental is installing 10 interpretations of the campaign in its properties around the world, including curated Cloud Dancer afternoon tea sets, oxygenating spa treatments and Cloud Dancer post boxes for letters to Santa. Decorations in these locations will also incorporate the color.
Command Brand’s limited-edition Cream Speckled collection—inspired by Cloud Dancer’s soft, neutral tones—lets designers curate string lights like constellations, photography installations and inspiration boards.
Fragrance company Pura is launching a scent meant to go with the color. Pura's combination of smart diffusers, app control and fragrance development is designed to create an immersive sensory experience.
The exclusive Joybird x Pantone collaboration features Pantone 11-4201 Cloud Dancer in tactile fabrics, Soul and Karina, that are meant to turn simplicity into a sensory experience. Karina is a textured fabric—combining silky eyelash and chenille yarns—that is very soft to the touch but suitable for everyday use. Soul is a textured chenille with a vintage feel that adds depth and warmth. The color is customizable across 300 of Joybird’s silhouettes, including sectionals, sleeper sofas, bed frames, accent chairs, ottomans and pillows. An assortment of curated accessories like tables, lamps, rugs, wall decor and pillows is also available.